


The Art of Sneaking Out

by Miss_Murdered



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Band!Shiro, M/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2019-04-23 16:18:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14336313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_Murdered/pseuds/Miss_Murdered
Summary: When Lance sneaks out of the Garrison to see his favourite band, he bumps into a surprising companion who seems to love them as much as he does.





	The Art of Sneaking Out

It wasn’t like Lance was a “good boy” all the time. It wasn’t that he didn’t occasionally break the rules or wiggle around the letter of the law. Yet he had never snuck out of the Garrison after curfew. Yeah, he had snuck the kitchen with Hunk or the rec room for some late night fun. And he had even been in the simulators at the 2am with both Hunk and Pidge. But he had never left the Garrison entirely. But tonight he was.

It was only because it was Voltron. Because it was Shiro. As hell, anything else, Lance would let slide. It wasn’t that wanted to be a goodie two shoes. It was that he didn’t want to get thrown out of the Garrison. As Lance knew he was so damn lucky to be where he was and training to fly spaceships across the galaxy. If he hadn’t got the scholarship, there was no way he’d even be there so there was no way he was going to jeopardise that.  It had to be something big for him to risk it all. And Voltron was big. At least to Lance.

Voltron were his band. They were _the_ band. The band that he had listened to every day since he was thirteen. They were the band that had got him to where he was, the band that he listened to on good days and bad days, who he used to escape from the small house and siblings. They were also his sexual awakening or really Shiro was. That smooth voice, the eyeliner, the swagger on the stage or the raw emotion at the microphone – they had helped mould Lance to who he was now.

And so Voltron and Shiro were a big fucking deal to Lance.

He thought about how to explain to his mom if he got kicked out of the Garrison for his Voltron obsession as he began to sneak down the corridors. Pidge and Hunk had his back – had broken into the security feed for Lance’s route out and changed the tapes to another uneventful night. And while Hunk had been worried about Lance’s escape for the night, he had helped in any way he could so that it could go smoothly. Lance supposed Hunk was very aware of his Voltron obsession. After all, the guy had to stare at a life sized Shiro poster in their room.

 As Lance made his way along the pre-agreed route, he felt a moment of doubt. While his escape from the sleeping quarters had been planned out, the rest of the plan was not so well thought out. He was just going to walk along the road away from the Garrison and hope that he could hitch-hike the rest of the way. He couldn’t risk trying to steal a vehicle so Lance feared that he may only see a small fraction of the gig. It would have to do. He just had to _try_ and see Voltron.

It was as Lance was about to leave the building through an old delivery entrance did he hear something or at least someone else. He paused, stood close to the wall and waited. The footsteps stopped and Lance suddenly figured out that they weren’t someone else’s footsteps. They were _his._

“Idiot,” he whispered to himself and then he walked around the corner.

Right into someone else’s body.

For a second he did nothing apart from one step back. He’d hoped he wouldn’t be caught this quickly, that he would at least get off the Garrison premises before the inevitable crushing of his long-held dream to see Voltron live. Yet he didn’t hear shouting. Nor was someone holding onto his shoulder so that he could be marched back to his room. No, instead, there was someone stood opposite him looking just as guilty.

Keith.

Had to be damn well Keith. Keith who was top in the class. Who was the best at piloting and excelled at everything and was so damn clever and had never broken any of the rules… But Lance noticed something. He was wearing a t-shirt. A t-shirt that nearly matched Lance’s own.

“Voltron…” Lance mumbled.

His mind couldn’t comprehend what he was seeing. That not only was Keith sneaking out as well, he was sneaking out to see Voltron just as Lance was and that was blowing his mind.

Keith was more articulate. “I have a ride. Come with me now if you want see them.”

Lance dumbly nodded. It seemed Keith was more prepared for his night time excursion than Lance was and within a few minutes they were off the base, sneaking through a cut in the barbed wire and finding an old motor bike behind some rocks and hidden by some dead foliage.

“How?” asked Lance, amazed by the ease in which Keith was clearing brown leaves from the machine. He had done this before, Lance was sure, and he suddenly wondered if his evaluation of the “good” student was completely inaccurate.

“Don’t ask.”

Lance wanted to ask. He _really_ wanted to ask. He wanted to ask Keith a lot of things. Like how he knew there was a bike stashed or whether it was his bike and did people do this all the time? Or how long had he been into Voltron and did he have a crush on Shiro too? But Lance stifled those questions, letting them bubble in his gut as Keith got on the bike and looked over at Lance.

“You gonna get on or am I leaving you here?”

Blinking, Lance figured out a few things. There were no helmets so it wasn’t safe. Which Lance figured quickly was a stupid thing to care about being that they were being trained to fly into space. And that he was going to have sit behind Keith and hold onto his waist. Which he hoped no one else would ever know he had done.

“Are you coming or not? We’re going to miss Voltron.”

Lance hesitated for only one more second. As his embarrassment at being close to Keith was nothing compared to the feeling in his stomach from missing out on seeing Voltron and Shiro live.

He hopped on, wrapped his arms tight around Keith and they set off towards the city, driving at a speed that was not entirely legal. As Lance held on tightly, his head buried in Keith shoulder due to the speed of the wind in his face, Lance came to the conclusion he would’ve wasted his ticket and his attempt at breaking curfew without Keith. They barely passed anyone on the road and Lance would have never got to the venue on time. He would thank Keith later but right now he was enjoying the warmth of his body and the feel of the soft t-shirt underneath his fingertips…

Wait. Lance realised what he was thinking. Why was he thinking that it was nice clinging on Keith for dear life? Keith was annoying. Keith was the top student. Keith had a stupid mullet. But right now, Lance wasn’t thinking about those thing. He was only thinking about how Keith was going to get him to see Voltron and how they were both fans and how the world really could be small, after all.

When they finally got into the city, Keith knew where the venue was and even knew where to leave the bike safely and Lance finally was able to ask the question he had been dying to ask.

“Not your first time sneaking out, huh?”

Keith shook his head. “Can tell it’s _your_ first.”

Lance wasn’t sure it if was an insult from Keith and quite frankly he didn’t care. As at that very moment, he was stood outside a dingy old music venue called Black Lion and inside of it there was Shiro and Voltron. He really didn’t care if Keith insulted him.

There was already music blasting out and Lance quickly identified it as “not Voltron” and  guessed it must have been the support act. It figured as there was no line to get in, everybody already inside and with prime spots and Keith walked towards the entrance, Lance trailing behind as he tried to not grin too broadly and look totally _uncool._

He couldn’t help it. He was about to Voltron. And Shiro. He really couldn’t believe his damn luck.

Lance followed Keith trying to look cool and relaxed. They had their tickets scanned and their hands stamped and within a few moments they were in the dark misty atmosphere of the venue and Lance was trying to stop the goofy grin from crossing his face. As Shiro was somewhere in _this_ venue and that meant that Lance was breathing the same air as his idol and that was blowing his already over stimulated mind.

Obviously noticing that Lance was lagging behind, Keith grabbed for Lance’s arm and gestured towards the stage area. Lance couldn’t hear a thing apart from the band currently on the stage so Keith didn’t try and say anything, only made a few motions and Lance was following behind him.

The band playing weren’t bad. Their sound was very reminiscent of Voltron but Lance didn’t feel the same connection or interest despite the fact he could feel the drum beat from the soles of feet to the top of his head.

Keith led the way through the crowd, sliding between people with practiced ease. Lance stepped on some toes and got some dark looks but gave apologetic expressions and followed Keith until he stopped as close as he could get to the stage. As Lance thought there would be, there were already a few rows of people closer to the stage but he didn’t care too much. From the spot Keith had picked, Lance could see the stage perfectly and so now all he had to do was wait until Voltron came on.

It seemed to take far too long and not long enough. As he bobbed his head along to the sound of the support act, Lance didn’t really hear them as his thoughts were consumed about seeing Shiro _for real_ and how he wasn’t really prepared to see his idol so up close.

Voltron had been his escape. The house had always been full, siblings everywhere and it had been difficult for all of them when their dad died, and the only brief moments of peace for Lance had been with his headphones in his ears and Voltron blaring out. He had spent so many hours laid on his bed and _really_ listening to the lyrics - even the mediocre third album. And for that reason Lance still couldn’t comprehend he was going to see Shiro and Shiro was going to be in front of him.

He glanced over at Keith who was nodding slightly to the support act and looked more at ease. Lance wondered what Voltron meant to Keith or if it was just something he did – sneaking out to see bands. But then the band t-shirt was well-worn, washed many times and soft under Lance’s fingertips. It was a favourite. And maybe that meant Voltron were Keith’s favourite band too… And as he looked at Keith, he thought of all those times he’d mocked his mullet and the teacher’s pet thing. He wondered what his hair felt like, if it would be soft under his fingertips.

Shaking his head, Lance realised that the band had stopped in front of him and he had daydreamed the rest of the support set. Now there was a lull and people had begun to move. Keith grabbed for Lance’s arm and mouthed the words “move”. Lance followed the instruction and found he had been able to move a few steps closer. Closer to Shiro. He smiled goofily in Keith’s direction in thanks.

It did not take long for the lights to darken and Lance felt the hairs on his arms and the back of his neck stand up in response. People began to crowd closer but Lance didn’t let anyone else get in front of him. He stood his ground, determined to maintain his perfect view of Shiro. The atmosphere changed as some pre-recorded music played loudly and Lance felt his mouth go dry. In the dark, he saw shadows on the stage and Lance swallowed thickly as he realised when the lights went up he would see Shiro.

Yet the band started playing and the lights went up and… no Shiro. He saw the other members but not the man he had idolised for so damn long. But then Lance saw him, walking out of the wings, each stride confident as he approached the microphone and Lance’s heart was beating in the rhythm of the hammering of the drums as Shiro looked up out into the crowd. Lance knew that Shiro couldn’t see much in the dim light but Lance felt his gaze on him, briefly, and he shivered. It didn’t matter that Shiro didn’t know him, would never know, all that mattered to Lance was that he could finally see the guy he owed his life to.

Maybe that was overdramatic. But maybe it wasn’t. As without that music, without that freedom and ability to escape away from his life when it hard, when he was hurting from his father’s death, then maybe he wouldn’t be where he was. He wouldn’t have been at the Garrison. And so when Shiro opened his mouth and began to sing, all Lance could do was sing along and hold his hand in the air, feeling every word and each beat through his body and soul. They were the band that had saved him and if anyone wanted to laugh at him, they could. He didn’t give a damn.

Shiro was exactly as he was in the music videos that Lance had watched a million times – eyeliner and the streak of white hair in the jet black. He closed his eyes during the quieter songs and sang softly, he stalked the stage during the heavier ones and reached out to the crowd during the most popular tracks. He wore the tight leather pants he was known for and a plain black tank, his bio-mechanical arm tattoo on show throughout the night, the intricate design made to look as though his skin was ripped to expose the wiring underneath.

He was mesmerising and Lance jumped and screamed his lungs out, his t-shirt wet through from sweat and his damp hair pushed back from his face. He lost Keith at times, someone pushing in between them, but he’d find him again to see him singing along with every word too. He _really_ was a Voltron fan.

It was the best damn night of Lance’s life and as Shiro thanked everyone, Lance suddenly became aware it was going to end soon. Of course, it was all a show for the encore – so that they could go off stage to return to play those three popular songs that they had seemed to have “forgotten” but it still meant it would be over soon. And Lance didn’t want it to be over.

As Voltron returned for their encore, Lance had never felt more alive. His heart was synced from the drum beat and his whole body thrummed from the familiar strums of the guitars. He felt exhilarated and did not know how he was going to sleep on his bunk back at the Garrison. That suddenly seemed like a different world.  As he sang along to those final few songs, he willed the set to last longer, for the night to last longer but it didn’t.

“Thank you, you’ve been great… have a safe journey home,” Shiro said as the final song finished.

He threw a towel into the crowd, gave a girl in front of Lance the set list and waved as people screamed but then Shiro was gone. And the lights came back on.

Lance stood where he was, frozen in place, until Keith grabbed his arm and brought him back to reality.

“We need to get back.”

He knew that. That they needed to get back. But his feet didn’t want to co-operate.

“Come on,” Keith said, more forcefully this time.

“Yeah,” Lance said dreamily. “Let’s go.”

They walked out of the venue, the floor seemingly more sticky with each step and everyone they bumped into was just as hot and sweaty as Lance was. Once they got outside, Lance felt the chill of the night air and it felt like switching back into the real world. It made him wonder if his disappearance had been discovered and whether his place at the Garrison would be at risk. As he looked up into the starlit sky, he figured it had been worth it as seeing Voltron had been better than he had imagined. A hundred times better. His heart was still hammering hard in his chest from exhilaration.

“Come _on,”_ Keith said again, his annoyance clearly showing at Lance’s dawdling and gazing at the stars.

Lance shook his head to regain his focus and nodded, following Keith back to the bike. As they drove back, Lance holding on tight to Keith’s damp t-shirt, smelling the saltiness of Keith’s skin, he wondered once again what Voltron meant to Keith. He would ask, one day, he figured. Maybe spend some more time around the guy. Maybe see if they had more in common…

The journey back seemed to take far less time and soon they were hiding the bike back away. They were going to approach the Garrison and sneak back inside when Lance paused.

“I just wanted to say thanks… tonight meant a lot to me and it was good that you could take me and all,” Lance said, scratching at the back of his head.

“Voltron mean a lot to me too,” Keith replied, “I get it.”

Lance smiled. “Maybe one day we should get together. Listen to Voltron. Share some stories.”

For a second Keith’s face remained neutral and Lance wanted to kick himself. He had been too forward. He’d been acting like an idiot. He didn’t know Keith well or his orientation or anything. He was still drunk on the whole seeing Voltron thing that he wasn’t thinking. But Keith smiled.

“I’d like that.”

“Cool,” Lance said with a grin.

And with that, they snuck back into the Garrison using the same route, the same timings and avoiding the same checks as they had when they had made their escape.

When Lance arrived back in his room, the reassuring sound of Hunk’s snoring reverberated around the room and he slipped out of his clothes silently. As he got into his bed, Lance couldn’t stop the grin on his face. He’d seen Shiro in real life. He’d seen Voltron live. It had been quite a night.

Yet he had a feeling… there was more to come. He’d discovered something about Keith and as he closed his eyes, Lance saw Keith’s small smile, his face as he sang along to Voltron songs and he remembered the feel of his soft t-shirt against his fingertips. And as Lance drifted off, he thought about that day to come when they would listen and talk about Voltron. He was looking forward to. He just hoped that Keith was too.


End file.
